Beauty and sadness

               “Beautiful people”  and achievers--- that is what they are called. They are the ones who seem to have everything: brains, money, good looks, pedigree, prominent family name, fame and influence, even.

            Oh, how enviable they could be. It seems like they have no problems, no personal struggles. It seems like everything is at their beck and call. Or so I thought.

            Most of the characters in British novelist Jeffrey Archer’s novels are what may be called “beautiful people” and achievers. This is to be expected from a writer who is quite a tale to be told himself: Oxford-educated, world-class sprinter when he was still a student, former member of the British Parliament, of royal blood (he is actually Lord Archer of Weston-upon-Mare), and , of course, an internationally-bestselling writer.

            Achievers Archer’s characters may be, they are no different from me…or you. They also have their struggles, foibles, defeats, frustrations, dark secrets and blunders. Despite what they have or who they are, they are not much different from the rest of us (although their ambitions are definitely loftier than the average person). Reading Archer’s novels and relating to the characters that inhabit in them gave me an epiphany: people who seem to have everything may be admired but not envied. After all, they are just humans, too.

            One of Archer’s earliest novels, Kane and Abel, tells of two illustrious and ambitious rivals: William Lowell Kane and Abel Rosnovski.

            Kane is Harvard-educated and belongs to a wealthy Boston banking family while Abel (who only belatedly knew of his royal blood) is a destitute Polish immigrant who became a very successful hotelier.

            The two protagonists’ rivalry and despise for each other is way beyond compare, surpassing even that of the Biblical story (Cain and Abel) of the Book of Genesis; and spanning several decades, with tumultuous world events such as World War II and the assassination of JFK serving merely as backdrop to the two characters’ deep-seated conflict.

            Their conflict started when Abel accused Kane of contributing in no small way to the suicide of the former’s closest friend (Davis Leroy) when the latter’s (Kane’s) bank refused to extend more time for the repayment of  Davis Leroy’s loan.

            Unbeknownst to them, each has helped the other unwittingly. Kane was the unknown benefactor/investor who helped bail out and paved the way for the success of Abel’s hotel chain.  It was Abel, while serving as a medical volunteer in World War II who treated Kane and saved him from sure death in Luddendorf, Germany, when Kane enlisted for the American army in the same war.

            The above same characters are also present in the novel Prodigal Daughter, the sequel to Kane and Abel.

            The novel Prodigal Daughter tells of FLorentyna Rosnovski Kane, Abel Rosnovski’s daughter, Harvard summa cum laude, beautiful, and heiress to his father’s Baron Group of Hotels (á la Paris Hilton but only smarter!).

            But alas, her heart proved to be more formidable than her brains. She fell in love with the (apparently) right person , Richard Kane, but who is the son of the “wrong” father. Richard Kane is the son of and the heir to William Lowell Kane--- Florentyna’s father’s (Abel) rival. (Heiress Paris Hilton---who is attached to heir Paris Lastis, and there seems to be no objection from any stakeholder---is luckier in this regard.)

            True to her nature as a headstrong woman (nobody can accuse a Harvard summa cum laude of having little willpower) she fought for her love. Renouncing her father (and concomitantly her claims to her father’s fortune), she struck out on her own and became successful in her own right. Not only that, she gets to keep her man, Richard Kane.

            It is in this novel that the two combative fathers, William Lowell Kane and Abel Rosnovski, were reconciled.

            The novel First Among Equals involves not just two but four illustrious and ambitious men vying for the ultimate political position: Prime Minister of Great Britain.

            First Among Equals is the political saga of Charles Seymour, son of an earl and member of the British Royal family; Simon Kerslake, middle class but the son a famous British sports hero; Andrew Fraser, son of an MP (Member of Parliament); and Raymond Gould, a  butcher’s son yet very ambitious and very smart.

            The novel tells of the scheming, political stratagems, and various manipulations each has to employ just to win the ultimate political prize. The plot of the novel is really not that different from what we hear about Philippine politics. It is more exciting though due to the interesting personalities involved. Not only that, Archer's depiction of British political life is very realistic (although with considerable literary license) due to his political background.

            Upon the other hand, the short story collection Twelve Red Herrings, although it also contains high-profile people, is more gossipy than political. Some stories in this collection recounts of the  foibles and dark secrets of such people as athletes, models/socialites, management executives, etc. The characters in these stories though are more ordinary than the characters in Archer's other novels.

            One memorable story titled “Cheap at Half the Price” tells of a model/socialite who “maintains” two husbands (discreetly and without their knowing it, of course). For her birthday, she wants something unique and unusual (read: more expensive and rare). She came across a new jewelry store, The House of Graff, at a very upscale establishment. A displayed necklace, the Kanemarra heirloom, caught her fancy. This necklace, according to the House's owner, was originally worn by the fabled Marie Antoinette. Due to its rarity, the price is a whopping one million pounds which even for a lady of her stature is a bit expensive. To remedy this, she first brought her first husband to the store who promptly made an offer of half of the jewelry's price---half a million pounds. The model/socialite, through discreet non-verbal language persuaded the owner to just take the check of half a million dollars. Several hours later, the very same socialite-model showed in the very same store, this time with another distinguished-looking man. The store owner shows neither reaction nor surprise even if the very same lady was at his store with another man only a few hours before. This second man also  made an offer to the jewelry store owner to take the jewelry but for only half of its price. The lady again stealthily motioned to the store owner to take the check of half a million pounds. As the man leaves and says his goodbyes to her sweetheart (the socilaite-model), the owner wraps the gift and promptly wishes the lady a happy birthday.

            The above story brought a smile to my face as I realized how many sophisticated and high-society ladies are exactly like the woman in the story. To maintain their unbelievably costly lifestyle, they need more than one husband! Apparently “beautiful people” (socialites, models, and their ilk are usually lumped under this category) yet deeply flawed. 

            Every time I stray into places where so-called beautiful people converge (say, in Greenbelt), I am always reminded of some of the characters in Archer's novels. Some people may be better than me (or as compared to most others for that matter) status-wise, but one fact remains:they may be not much different from me. They may be admired if need be, but not envied.  Just like me, they also have their foibles, faults, insecurities, struggles, and probably, even dark secrets.